HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 HJM 4033

             As Reported By House Committee on:

                  Natural Resources & Parks

Brief Description:  Requesting Congress and the President to enact the Forests and Families Protection Act.

Sponsor(s):  Representatives Hargrove, Basich, Riley, Beck, Sheldon, Jones, Bowman, Morton, Morris, Brumsickle, P. Johnson, Dorn, Rasmussen, J. Kohl, Kremen, Fuhrman, Wynne, Ogden, O'Brien, H. Myers and Paris.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Natural Resources & Parks, February 6, 1992, DPS.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Belcher, Chair; Scott, Vice Chair; Beck, Ranking Minority Member; Brumsickle, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Dellwo; Fraser; Hargrove; Morton; Riley; Sheldon; and Wynne.

Staff:  Randy Acker (786-7129).

Background:  The northern spotted owl, which inhabits old-growth forests, was declared a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in June, 1990.  Since that time, in order to protect the owl, much of the old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest has been unavailable for harvest, resulting in a significantly reduced timber supply.  In some areas of Washington, the reduced timber supply has been a major contributor to high levels of unemployment.  At the same time, the demand for new home construction has reached the lowest level since World War II, and with demand for building materials low, unemployment in the timber industry is of major concern at both the state and national levels.

Debate over the level of protection for the owl and the impact of that protection on timber workers and communities has been intense.  While numerous solutions to the question of how to balance preservation of the spotted owl with protection of jobs and communities have emerged in the form of bills before Congress, no agreement has yet been reached.  The Forests and Families Protection Act before Congress is supported by northwest timber workers and the timber industry as a balanced, comprehensive, and fair approach to addressing this problem.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  Congress and the president of the United States are asked to enact the Forests and Families Protection Act.  Copies of the memorial are to be transmitted to the president of the United States, the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the state of Washington.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Pulp and paper workers are added to the workers identified as being directly employed in the timber industry.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  There is a need for a long-term solution to the crisis in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.  It is essential to create a program that offers stable timber harvests and a resulting predictable timber supply.  Any long-term solution must strike a balance between protection of the spotted owl and protection of jobs and timber communities.  The Forests and Families Protection Act, currently before Congress, deals with all the components of the problem in a balanced and comprehensive way.  It is important that the Legislature communicate its support for the act.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Roger Reidel, Washington State Labor Council (in favor); Brent Knott, Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (in favor); Larry Mason, Washington Commercial Forest Action Committee (in favor); Dan Wood, Citizens for Responsible Resource Use (in favor); Sharla Moffett, American Forest Resource Alliance (in favor); Ted LaDoux, Northwest Independent Forest Manufacturers (in favor); and Tim Boyd, Washington Forest Protection Association (in favor).